My Toddler Fell Off the Girls Growth Chart

Brandy Davis

About the Author

Brandy Davis is a write-at-home mom of two ninjas and one princess. Her hobbies include cooking, thrift store shopping, and reading. See her past work on Pampers.com, eHow, and Gather.

About the Blog

WhatToExpect.com supports Word of Mom as a place to share stories and highlight the many perspectives and experiences of pregnancy and parenting. However, the opinions expressed in this section are those of individual writers and do not reflect the views of Heidi Murkoff of the What to Expect brand.

My daughter was born a beautiful and healthy seven-and-a-half pound girl. Over the next 12 months she gained weight and grew but was inching farther and farther down the girls growth chart. She went from the 50th percentile, to the 40th, and finally down to the 10th percentile for her age. After her first birthday, she completely fell off the bottom of the chart.

I remember asking her pediatrician if there was something wrong. The fact that my daughter's height and weight were no longer in the "average" range had me really concerned. Her pediatrician said that because my daughter was healthy, happy, and growing, there was nothing to be concerned about. She explained that children grow at their own pace, and that my daughter only needed to gain two pounds to get back on the girls' growth chart for her age.

I knew my daughter was little. At 18 months, she was wearing nine-month shorts. My friends and family were constantly commenting on her tiny frame, which started to drive me a little nuts (an understatement, more like REALLY nuts). I had one family member that called constantly, asking if my daughter was eating well, and offering to bring over junk food. I would politely decline the junk food, breathe deeply, and tell myself that she meant well.

My pediatrician was on my side. She advised me to ignore the comments and avoid feeding my child empty-calorie junk food. Best of all, she told me I was a great mom with a happy and healthy child and that I was doing a good job. At meals my daughter would drink milk or toddler fruit juice, accompanied by fruits, vegetables, baked chicken nuggets, or other toddler-friendly foods. Eventually, she made her way back to the toddler growth chart and is now a very happy and healthy kindergartener.

Do you think there is too much emphasis placed on growth charts for children? Tell us in the comments section below!

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